Cancer “Mitosis Gone Wild”. What is Cancer? Uncontrolled cellular division of abnormal cells Caused by the genetic code in the cell’s DNA Crowds out.

Cancer

“Mitosis Gone Wild”

What is Cancer? Uncontrolled cellular division

of abnormal cells Caused by the genetic code in

the cell’s DNA

Crowds out the healthy cells and can start to spread to other parts of the body – METASTASIZE

Hundreds of different varieties

Cancer Cell Growth Occurs in any part of an

animal or plant where cells are growing and dividing

CONTACT INHIBITION Normal cells form one layer. Replication or cell division stops upon contact with neighboring cells Cancer cells DO NOT have contact inhibition, so they “pile up” on each other forming tumors or “clumped cells”

Tumors BENIGN

No serious health problems

Grow slowly Non-invasive Are NOT carried by

blood Easily removable NOT considered Cancer

MALIGNANT Very serious health

problems Rapid growth Invasive – pushes into

surrounding normal tissue

Can be carried by blood or lymph to other areas of the body = METASTASIS

Not as easy to remove Cancer!

What causes cancer? Everyone has pre-cancerous cells Continual irritation of these pre-cancerous

cells triggers the development of cancer More than 80% of cancers are caused by

exposure to CARCINOGENS (substances that promote the development of cancer) Chemicals Radiation (x-rays, UV light) Viruses (herpes simplex 1 & 2 linked to cervical

cancer)

Stages of Cancer Describes how far cancer has spread

Stage I – small, localized, usually curable Stage II – larger tumor, lymph may be affected Stage III – even larger tumor, lymph affected Stage IV – usually inoperable, metastasis

Stages of Cancer - TNM TNM Staging – more

precise system T = Tumor (T0-T4

depends on size, invasiveness)

N = Nodes (N0-N4 indicates lymph involvement)

M = Metastasis (M0 or M1)

Examples: T1N1M0 T3N4M1

Types of Cancer Carcinomas – epithelial cells (skin or tissue

lining) *Most cancers – breast, stomach, lung, prostate, colon

Melanoma – pigment producing cells (moles)

Lymphomas – lymphatic tissue Sarcoma – bone, muscle, fat, connective

tissue *Rare (~2% of cancers) Leukemia – blood/bone marrow

Skin Cancer – Melanoma

Treatments Surgery – removal of a localized tumor

Number 1 option Can stop cancer from spreading Usually followed by radiation or chemotherapy

Radiation – damages cancer cells (but also damages surrounding healthy cells)

Chemotherapy – strong doses of chemicals are used to kill cancerous cells Given orally or through injections

Treatments Immunotherapy

Kill cancer cells by using chemicals such as interferon (naturally occurring in our body) to help stimulate our immune system to fight

Vaccine – also used to stimulate immune system

Treatments Hormone Treatment

Reduces the amount of hormones produced in the body which can decrease the rate at which cancer can spread (breast, prostate, uterine)

Bone Marrow Transplant Replace bone marrow to begin new production

of red blood cells Alternative

Diet Acupuncture (for minimizing pain, post

operative swelling, vomiting from chemo) Hyperthermia – heat to destroy cancer cells

Prevention of Cancer Major Risk Factors

Smoking Tobacco 1/3 of ALL cancer deaths in US caused by tobacco

smoke UV exposure Diet & Lack of Exercise

overconsumption of alcohol, fat, and foods that have been smoked, cured, pickled, or charred

Lack of dietary fiber or antioxidant vitamins and minerals

Radiation (x-rays, radioactive substances) CARCINOGENS – chemicals that increase

cancer risk (asbestos, uranium, radon, cadmium)

Are you at risk? Everyone's cancer risk profile is complex

and unique – genetics, environment, and lifestyle choices all factor in to your chance of developing cancer!